Waiver Worthy: Add Kent Bazemore In All Leagues

by Will Overton

First there was Steve Blake, then it was Jordan Farmar, then we had the Kendall Marshall era, and now we have Kent Bazemore. This is the progression that the Lakers point guard position has gone through this season with Steve Nash watching from the sideline. All of them bringing fantasy value at different points while taking their turn as starter.

The one thing that has remained consistent with the Lakers point guard this season is their fantasy value. It doesn’t have as much to do with the players always as it does with the system. Mike D’Antoni coached point guards always seem to have value because of the offense he runs.

What hasn’t remained consistent is who is getting the value. Blake is now gone, Farmar is now hurt, and Marshall has apparently fallen out of favor in LA. So while Kent Bazemore is the next guy in line you still have to ask how long it’s going to last. Let’s look at Bazemore and see if he can continue the success he’s had for the remainder of the season.

Bazemore has been a member of the Lakers for five games and has averaged 33.4 MPG as a starter over those five games. In that time span he’s averaged 16.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.6 APG, 2.0 SPG and 1.6 3PG. Bazemore has been one of the leading members of the Lakers offense since joining the team, and this is a team that needs someone to step up.

Bazemore wasn’t doing much in Golden State and as the Warriors kept adding guards he kept getting pushed further down the depth chart. Now he’s off the playoff contender and on to the team that is looking at next year and seeing if Bazemore will be a part of that.

This doesn’t come completely out of nowhere though. Bazemore made a big splash this summer in the Nevada summer league when he exploded to take the league by storm. Bazemore was considered a sleeper in a lot of fantasy leagues because of his offensive firepower, but he just never got the chance until now.

The concern I have is that the Lakers do have others. Kendall Marshall was putting up fairly good numbers and he’s more of a natural playmaker than Bazemore. So if Bazemore stumbles he’s going to be right there, waiting to get back on the court and start dealing out those dimes one more time.

At the same time though, while Bazemore isn’t a typical playmaker like Marshall is, he is a more overall talented player. Bazemore won’t rack up double digit assists, but he does other stuff really well too. Bazemore could even play shooting guard if the Lakers do decide to turn the reigns of the offense back to Marshall.

If you’re in a keeper league Bazemore has a ton of long term potential in my opinion. I would definitely pull out all the stops to grab him off the wire if he’s still there. In a standard league he’s certainly worth grabbing for as long as he is hot. He won’t keep shooting 45%, so watch for the ups and downs he’s bound to go through. Grab him though if you need some extra scoring, steals and threes.